


the desire of the heart

by NepetaLeijon27



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Shugo Chara!
Genre: Gen, Magical Boys, POV Second Person, first chapter is only there for worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22389868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NepetaLeijon27/pseuds/NepetaLeijon27
Summary: ‘I guess I’m still not ready, huh…’ You’ve always been someone who found inspiration in the littlest things in life. There was a time that you tried making a Vine every day, after all. That someone is a far cry from now. After fifteen minutes thinking and failing, you clean everything up again.‘I’ll just go to bed and forget everything…’ You shrug as you make your way to the bedroom. But as you open the door, you see something that wasn’t there last night.‘Hey…?’, In the middle of your pillow, are three small eggs no bigger than the ones of a quail. ‘I’m pretty sure that’s new.’
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

As soon as you see all asks in your tumblr mailbox, you knew nothing has changed after all by the end of the day. 

'This again...', You close the laptop and put it away. 'I don't have the time to react to all these.' You hide your face in your hand, sighing. It has been like this for the past few days already: everyday, anonymous users would accuse you of the darnest things ever since you've made a clear statement about asexual people belonging to the LGBT-community. Unfortunately, this proves that humanity isn't as tolerant as you wish it is.

You turn off the lights and try to sleep. 

'...on to another same-y day...'

Normally, you would have looked forward to the next day. However, this has been energy-draining, resulting in you having to keep up appearances to your friends. You've told them that it is really nothing to worry about, and that they will see the truth eventually. You don't want them to be dragged into all of this. Joan has offered some support in the form of coming over to watch movies together, but you can't focus on them at all. 

'...how...did it come this far?', you ask yourself, still staring at the ceiling. 'Only if they could see me as how I truly am...then none of this would've happened!' You bite away your tears, but give up eventually. 

* * *

You didn't know how, but you managed to sleep that night. Your eyes are still red and your cheeks are stained with dried tears, as you can see in the mirror that morning. You wipe the traces away and reluctantly ready yourself for another day.

'I should do something...', you think. 'I should make another video...maybe that will clear up the confusion...' You wonder if you really could find distractions if watching movies didn't help, but you try it anyway. In your eyes, trying was a sign that you're looking for a solution. 

But as you ready your equipment, you can't think of anything. 'I guess I'm still not ready, huh...' You've always been someone who found inspiration in the littlest things in life. There was a time that you tried making a Vine every day, after all. That someone is a far cry from now. After fifteen minutes thinking and failing, you clean everything up again.

'I'll just go to bed and forget everything...' You shrug as you make your way to the bedroom. But as you open the door, you see something that wasn't there last night.

'Hey...?', In the middle of your pillow, are three small eggs no bigger than the ones of a quail. 'I'm pretty sure that's new.'

Carefully, you approach them. As you do so, you can see that they are colored as if they were easter eggs - and each of them has a different design. One of them is black with a dark blue, six-pointed star with a dark green diamond in the middle of it. Another is light blue with a gold-colored animal paw print on it, decorated with a pink heart in its center. The third one is red with a shield, which has a golden crown with a red gem on it. 

'Where did these things come from?', you ask yourself. You haven't gone back to the bedroom ever since you left it this morning, and haven't let anyone in. That aside, your bedroom is upstairs. 'Hmm. If I wasn't here, then how...'

You are still thinking as to how they suddenly appeared as the one with the blue star starts to crack. 'What the...', You get the idea that you have barely gotten the time to process it all as the next happenstance appears. 'Should I be afraid?' Deciding to take the certain for the unknown, you take a step back. 

'Finally.'

The egg fully cracks and a little fairy hatches. It strangely resembles you from the Teacher Vines, and is so small that it would easily fit in the palm of your hand. It immediately takes notice of you. '...Thomas, isn't it?'

'...Y-yes...', you utter slowly. 'Who are you? How do you know who I am?'

'Oh boy. You really don't know anything, do you.', It glances shortly at the other two, yet unhatched eggs and then back at you. 'As I see, they aren't hatched yet.'

'Don't know anything about _what_?', In the few seconds that this fairy has shown itself to you, you're already thinking that it could do with a little less cryptic talk. 'Please explain it. At least, tell me if you have a name!'

'Okay then.', The fairy adjusts its glasses. 'My name is Logan and I'm one of your Guardian Characters. I embody your wish to keep learning and I'm your logical-minded Side and common sense.'

'A...Guardian Character?', You're at least content that you have his name now. 'You are supposed to protect me?'

'Well...that's kind of a different protection.', Logan tries to explain. 'But I see that we're getting company.'

And indeed, the light blue egg soon hatches after. The fairy that appears looks like a tiny copy of your Dad Vines costume, but wears a grey cardigan around its shoulders. 

'Oh, hey Logan! You're early as always!'

After the first shock, you are pleasantly surprised by its appearance. 'You must be another 'Guardian Character' of mine, I guess?' 

'Yep!', it smiles. 'My name is Patton and I'm your wish to know what's right and wrong. You can say I'm your Morality! Also, I've got a bit of your niceness and courtesy too!'

'That sounds great, huh...', You still don't know what to think of it and you still have a lot of questions, but you are more comfortable then you were when you saw the eggs at first. 'I really wonder how you came to be.'

Patton doesn't answer your question and instead glances at the one unhatched egg at your pillow. 'He's late.', he remarks. 'I wonder why.'

'It's got to be any moment now.', Logan notes. 'Prepare yourself.'

 _Why_ , do you think, but decide to just wait and see what he means. Not without result: a few moments later, the red egg cracks and hatches. 

'Greetings! So, this is my new kingdom?'

Just like with the other two, this new fairy resembles a role you've played in the past - the prince from _Cinderella_ , to be exact. He wears a little golden crown on his head, resembling the one on the egg he hatched from.

'Nice to meet you! You're the last one to show up!' you say.

'Way to go, Roman.' Logan says, confirming the name of this third Guardian Character.

'Ah, I really wanted to say my name myself first...', He seems sad, but soon gets over it. 'Like our nerdy Wolverine pointed out, my name is Roman - rather, Prince Roman! I embody your wish to dream, to create and just to be yourself! Just to make things easier, I'll just say I'm your Creativity!'

'That definately helps the matter.', you point out. 'Now you're all here, can you tell me where you come from? 

'Well, we've been around ever since you were young.', Logan explains, surprising you. 'But we were still developing. After all this time, your wish made us come back and finally hatch.'

'Yeah I'm happy we're finally here!', Roman jumps up and down on your desk. 'It was getting so cramped in there!'

'Oh no, what will my fanbase say...', You suddenly think of your fanbase. If they ever figured out you were surrounded by three fairies, they'd bury you with questions. 'Like 'Hey guys sorry for the absence but it's because I've got three Guardian Characters now, don't worry it's nothing strange so just carry on!'? There's no way they'll ever buy _that_!'

'Don't worry.', Patton tilts his small head. 'Only young kids and people with Guardian Characters can see us. So you're safe.'

You breathe out in relief before realizing the implications of that statement. '...wait. Did you just say 'people with Guardian Characters'?' 

'I certainly did!', Patton says as if it's the most normal thing in the world. 'You're not the only one with Guardian Characters like me!'

'Well, as for now, I'm happy to have some company. And since you say you're part of me, you know you're here at the right moment!'

'We certainly do!', Roman's excitement from finally hatching did not dilute a bit. 'Now, let's help you getting those fans of yours back!'

Some time later, you have written down an apology with help of Logan, Patton and Roman. The latter mainly kept making sure your motivation did not leave you, while Logan helped filtering grammar and spelling mistakes. Patton knew the best way to approach your fanbase by considering their emotions. The post is soon gaining notes, and you note that there still are a lot of fans who stayed loyal to you all the time. That makes you happy.

* * *

Suddenly, you hear someone knocking on the door. 'Ah! Who could that be?', You are still looking at the notes of your post as this visitor sends you into a frenzy. 'I'll go take a look.' You rush downstairs, laptop under your arm. Logan, Patton and Roman are now floating next to you. 

You open the door to see a very familiar face. 'Joan!', you shout. 'So nice to see you!' _Act as if the Guardian Characters aren't here_ , you think as you let Joan inside.

'Hey, Thomas! You've regained your energy, I assume?', they ask once you close the door behind them and sit down on the sofa. 'That's great, then.'

'Y-yes, I have.', You just hope Joan doesn't ask more about how that came to be, and switch the topic. 'Did you come to watch more movies?'

'Well, actually...', Joan waits a bit before continuing and then holds up two fingers. 'Two things. One of them is that a few minutes before I decided to go to your house, this fell on my doormat. It's got your name on it, so...'

Joan hands you an envelope with your name on it. 'Strange. Why would this be delivered to _you_ if it's for _me_?' Despite questioning that, you open it. 

There isn't a lot inside - not even a letter. The only thing inside is a golden necklace with a small charm on it - a lock consisting of four diamond hearts. 'Huh...' You observe it. 

'Looks precious.', Joan comments. 'I haven't opened it because I thought I shouldn't do that. After all, the envelope had your name on it.'

'I wouldn't have minded anyway.', You shrug. 'What's the other thing?' Your hands go over the charm, while you wonder if this small piece of jewelry is related to your Guardian Characters in any way. 

'That. I should say that that second thing's a bit more serious than the first.', Joan clears their throat. 'It's about Valerie. I can't reach her.'

'How do you mean, can't reach her?' You frown as you feel your heart beating faster at the mention of your friend.

'I've had a conversation with her last night.', Joan clarifies. 'And she's been offline ever since. And that is strange, since she wasn't planning on going anywhere. Maybe she's just been stumped with work, but then she'd message about how boring it was. I've tried calling her, but all I get is the Voicemail...' They hold up their hands.

'What do you think she's doing right now?'

'I've thought about that earlier.', Joan holds up their index finger. 'But I eventually decided that going to her house is the best thing to do right now. Well, not entirely, I wanted to visit you first to inform you about it.', They look up. 'Oh, by the way, nice Guardian Characters.'

That sentence drops like a bombshell. 'What? You...?' You flinch as you realize that Joan can see them. You recall Patton's words: _Only young kids and people with Guardian Characters can see us_. That must mean one thing...

'Y-yeah, these are Roman, Logan and Patton. But wait. Joan, you've got Guardian Characters too?'

'Singular.', Joan corrects. 'Elliot, you can show yourself.'

Behind Joan, a Guardian Character slowly shows themselves. You can see that you both aren't fully adjusted to the situation yet. 

'That's great...I'm sorry, this is all so new to me...' You scratch the back of your head. 

'Oh, don't apologize.', Joan is accepting enough. 'In fact, I'm surprised you've got multiple. I've seen most with one or two. For example, now we're talking about her...Valerie's also got one.'

'Valerie? Then we've got some reason to go look what she's up to.', You stand up from the sofa. 'I don't know what she's doing, but maybe it's all false alarm. Either way, I haven't gone outside today, yet.'

'Well...', Joan keeps you from going to her just yet. 'I have a hunch. But you just discovered your Guardian Characters today, right?'

You nod. 

'Then this piece of information's gonna be new too.', You sit back down as Joan starts their explanation. 'All Guardian Characters, as you must have seen before, come from eggs. Those, we call the 'Heart's Egg'. They stem from your wish, what you want to be, or want to be more. But, that can also go wrong. I don't know the exact, like, the process of it, so don't be angry at me if I haven't understood this well.'

'I won't, don't worry.' Instead of worrying about Joan, your worry about Valerie grows.

'Okay, so.', Joan continues. 'When for some reason, their owner stops believing in whatever wish the Heart's Egg is born, it will corrupt and become a so-called X-Egg. Hey, I didn't make up the name or whatever, but they're probably called like that because they're black with a giant white X. And the Guardian Character inside will be corrupted too, and they're dangerous.'

'You...you think that has happened to Valerie?'

'There's no way I can know sure.', Joan shrugs. 'But the chance exists. When we go to her house, we'll see.'

'B-but what if your hunch is true, what do we do?'

Before Joan can answer, Roman speaks up. 'Don't worry. I'll tell you what to do!'

'You do?'

'Sure! Leave it to me!', Roman sounds very sure of his plea. 'Just remember to wear that!' He points at the necklace with the charm you just got from Joan.

'O...kay...', You say as you put it on. 'I think I can trust you...' You look at Joan, who nods.

'Sure, come what may.'

* * *

As you arrive at Valerie's house, you immediately see that something is wrong. 'The door's ajar.', you see. While it helps you two getting in, you know that this is unlike Valerie. 'Strange.' A lot more wary now, you both enter her living room.

'Valerie...?'

You stumble upon the sight of Valerie lying on the ground, motionless. You kneel down. 'She's still alive.', you let Joan know. 'But I don't know if she's sleeping or...'

'Thomas, look out!'

Suddenly, Joan warns you. You instinctively take a step back and look up. 

'There it is.', Joan says with underlying anger in their voice. 'That's the X-Character.'

You see what they mean pretty soon. She has the same size as your and Joan's Guardian Characters, but takes the form of a pale-skinned copy of Valerie, but she looks as if she is half dragon, with horns on her head and a scaled tail. However, on the side of her head is also a white X-mark. As soon as she takes notice of you both, she casts a bolt of fire at Joan. They haven't got the time to dodge and fall. 

'Joan!' you scream, rushing to Joan's side. 

Roman seems to have pressing matters. 'Thomas! I'll help you!'

'How?'

'Let me just...'

He doesn't answer you further as he goes back into the egg he hatched from, and before you know it, you change...

'Character Transformation - Shining Knight!'

It is both you and Roman who is speaking to you as an inside voice now. You have reappeared wearing a knight's armor, with a sword and shield in hand. 

'Roman...' you manage to mumble before you rush to attack Valerie's X-Character. _I'm more reckless than before. Huh._ As you do so, she summons more flames, which you try to avoid using the shield. 

'This isn't making you happy, is it?', you ask, while still trying to hold your ground. You would never be so brave by yourself, but you are slowly getting used that this is the effect Roman has on you. 'You're not the Valerie I know.'

Although it is just talking, she seems to waver. You take that small moment to charge at her directly with your sword. As you do so, her memories come flooding into your mind.

_I want to be stronger. I want to be fierce, I don't want to fear what everyone thinks of me._

_So why can't I?_

'Valerie...', you say. You're still hiding behind your shield, because the short wavering is over. 'You still can...' Another blazing hot fireball hits your shield, leaving you quivering for a second.

'This won't hold long!', Roman warns you. 'You've got an opportunity now! Take it!' He is basically screaming inside your mind. Instead of calming him down, you've decided that you've come this far and that you won't back down anymore now.

'That wish is still inside you!', you try. 'It hasn't disappeared! You can't let life get you down, we're here for you! So, stop attacking me and come back!'

You feel something starting to change inside you. It is the exact same 'power' you've felt when Roman transformed with you. You clutch the charm on your necklace and shout:

'Negative Heart, Lock On! My Own Heart, Unlock!'

The entire room is covered in blinding light. As it slowly dies down, you can see that the X-mark has shattered and that she has returned to what must be her true self. 

'...what...happened?'

Valerie opens her eyes and sees you. In the meantime, you have changed back to your normal clothing again. 'Sorry for intruding.', you apologize, nice as ever. 'Are you okay?'

Behind you, Joan also gets up. 'Thomas, you...' They see that everything has returned to normal. The fire must have been some form of faux flames, because nothing in Valerie's house shows signs of having been on fire. 

'Yeah, I guess I am.', Valerie stands up and as you think of explaining, you remind yourself that Valerie must be no stranger to the entire Guardian Character business.

'But...I don't know how...'

'I made you do everything you needed to do!', Roman suddenly reappears next to you. 'Like, I gave you the phrases and such.'

'Yeah, every Guardian Character knows them!', Patton speaks up after a long time. 'I'm happy you got that!' He points at your necklace. 

'This...I figured that it has to do with you.' You touch the charm once more.

'Where did you get that?' Valerie sees it for the first time.

'It fell on my doormat.', Before you can answer, Joan does so. 'It's peculiar that I got it in an envelope that was clearly addressed at Thomas.'

'Yeah, but I think it's not an issue. I still have it.' You shrug.

'It is certainly important that you have it.', Logan nods. 'Because that thing is a legendary artefact known as the Humpty Lock.'

'What do you mean, _legendary_?', Joan frowns. 'I've never heard of it.'

'Me neither.' Valerie's denial of knowing it makes you suspect that it's not a universally known thing with people who have Guardian Characters.

'Probably because your Guardian Characters never told you.', Logan keeps calm. 'And I get that. It allows the user to purify X-Characters and amplifies Character Transformation. That was what you were doing over there.'

'Character Transformation, huh...', Joan wonders. 'I've been able to do Character _Change_ with Elliot for a while, but a full-on _Transformation._..'

'You should definitely keep it then. It's no good if it falls into the wrong hands.' Joan says.

'Don't worry. I won't let this slip away.' you say as you hold it tightly. 

'Yeah! Right now, Thomas is certainly the best person for this!' Patton gives you a smile.

'Well, now we're here...', Joan considers. 'Can we help you with anything?'

'Nah, not really...you've already helped me wake up...'

'Thomas was. I hadn't even got the time to do something.' Joan gives you the honor.

'I'm just happy enough that I could.' 

'And I have a feeling this won't be the last time.', Roman says. 'You'll have to rely on us in the future, too.'

'I will.', you say, full of confidence. 'I certainly will!'


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil makes his entry...

After that day, you get used to the Guardian Characters being around in your daily life. You also learn how to recognize hatching X-Characters by experience, and figure out that every Guardian Character gives you a different set of powers and influences to you.

Roman makes you a lot more confident and reckless. Initially, you feared it a bit, but the Character Transformation also gives you armor, and pretty much anything that goes along with the image of a fighting prince. You also found out that in that state, you can think of virtually any item and it will appear.

Logan gives you almost the opposite. You're able to think very clearly while in a Character Transformation with him, and it seems like Logan prefers using guns in battle. Although you've switched to a bow and arrow from time to time, it's not Logan's preference. You don't mind - you know how to fire with precision. Something else he gives you is the ability to read minds. For that, you have a green diamond between your eyes while transformed.

Patton gave you something entirely different you had to get used to: Charm Person. You found out that exploding light bolts weren't the only gift as you tried to peer into their memories by trying to talk to them. Luckily, you couldn't make them do bad things - Patton explained that they can't do morally bad things. You are really happy about that.

'Ah...' 

The morning light is slowly reaching you eyes. You take a look at the time. '09:45...luckily it's saturday.'

Nonetheless you get dressed and go downstairs to make breakfast. As you do so, you grab the newspaper and read it during breakfast like always.

Before you open it, the header at the cover immediately directs your attention to it. 'Amount of pickpockets increases yet again...hmm.'

You start reading the piece. While you do so, you get the idea that you need to be more aware of your belongings when you go outside. 

Eventually, you finish your breakfast. You are still thinking of the information in the newspaper, as you hear something speaking to you.

 _It's about time you notice me_.

'What...?', you mumble. 'Who the...' It is not the voice of any of the Guardian Characters you know.

You rush to your bedroom. And your thoughts become reality: a single egg is on your pillow. Logan, Patton and Roman are standing around it. 

'A fourth Guardian Character...' You wonder.

'I'm so curious as to who it will be!', Roman is excited about this new development. 'What part of you could it be?'

You keep looking at its design. It is purple with a black cloud with a lightning bolt on it. 'I truly have no idea.', you say as you shake your head. 'Guess we'll see when it hatches. How long has it been here?'

'Hmm, not that long.', Logan says after thinking for a short while. 'It wasn't there when you left the bedroom.'

Suddenly, your phone rings. You grab it, and as soon as you unlock it, you see that Joan is calling you. You pick up.

'Hey, Joan!'

'Hi, Thomas! I just wanted to call you because I wanted to go to that new Disney movie, and I wanted to invite you!'

Behind you, Roman speaks up. 'You've got this, Thomas! You go to that movie! I'm sure it will be fun!'

'Uh...', You think back at the piece in the newspaper. It said that cinemas are a real easy place to get your stuff stolen, since the entire room gets dark and everyone's eyes are glued to the screen. But still...

'Yeah, I'd love to go!', you answer. 'Just be sure to keep an eye on your belongings.'

'Aw, Thomas, where does _that_ come from?', Joan asks. 'It'll be fine!'

You think it over, and then you answer: 'If you say so...'

'Great! I'll be at your house in five minutes. Just saying so you have time to prepare! See you soon!'

'See you soon, too!' you say and close the phone call. 

'You haven't told Joan about your fourth Heart's Egg yet?' Patton asks. 

'No, I'm planning on doing that later.', you explain. This is quite big news and you plan on tellling Joan when the time is there. 'First, let's get to that movie.'

'Yeah!' Roman cheers for you.

A few minutes later, Joan arrives at your house. You have stuffed the most important things - your wallet and your keys in a bag where you hope it will be secure enough. 

'Ready to go?' they ask. 

'You bet I am.'

* * *

'That was so awesome!'

You and Joan walk out of the cinema, the thoughts of both of you filled with happy memories from the movie. 

'Yeah, right!', Joan's voice shows their excitement. 'I'm so happy we could watch it together!'

'Me too.', you agree. 'That certainly made everything better. Watching movies on TV is so different than going to a cinema.'

'It's like...an entirely different atmosphere of things.', Joan gestures. 'I know, with Netflix and all, it's less popular, but it shouldn't disappear.'

'I also think that it's getting less popular due to the news that it's easy to get your stuff stolen in the cinema.', You mention the thing you were worrying about earlier. 'Really keeps people away.'

'That kind of news is always exaggerated so much.', Joan says as you see that you're getting near to your house. 'We've got all our stuff with us, don't we?'

You take a quick glance at the contents of your bag. Everything is still there. 'Yeah, we do.', You look back at Joan as you are at the front door of your house. 'See you later!'

'See you later!'

Joan leaves off as you unlock the front door and go in. You drop your stuff where it's supposed to be and take off your jacket and shoes. 

'They'll certainly want to know how it went...'

You go upstairs to your laptop, in order to post a tweet to your fanbase. 

_Just went to the cinema with Joan! It was so awesome! P.S: In case anyone wants to warn me, my stuff isn't stolen! Lmao_

'And...sent!', you tap enter, breathing virtual life into the tweet. 'That's right. I don't need to worry about _anything_! Why should I? Hah, _I was so stupid_ ly paranoid!' You crack a smile.

Suddenly, you hear Logan behind you. 'Thomas!', he shouts. 'Look at what's happening!' He points at the fourth Heart's Egg you discovered this morning. With that, he also calls the attention of the other three.

As you turn around to look at it and grab it, you can see that the surface is darkening rapidly. 

'Oh no...' you whisper. 

'What did you do! Thomas, what did you do?' Patton yells. But it has happened in mere seconds: your fourth Heart's Egg has turned completely black, safe for a big, white X-mark on it.

'Thomas, you...you...' Roman can't even think of a creative name to call you. 

Your voice lowers to a whisper for a moment. 'I...don't know what I did, Patton...', you say. 'But, to be honest...I don't really feel anything...different.'

'...you have a point.', After a short pause, Roman is the first to speak. 'I don't feel like anything has changed.'

'But there must be something.', Patton considers. 'Do you even comprehend what happened? _A part of Thomas just corrupted_!' 

_Patton's kinda scary when he's angry_ , you think. 'We don't even know what that Heart's Egg was born from.', You remember that they also don't know where it is from. 'So we also have no idea what part of me corrupted. Should I care? Maybe, just maybe, it was never part of me after all...'

'You stop there.', Logan says with a strict tone to his voice. 'Heart's Eggs are always an inherent part of the owner. You just said that nothing has changed, but I certainly see a difference!'

'Oh?', Roman crosses his tiny arms. 'Tell us. Because I certainly don't.'

'This is going to sound weird.', Logan walks closer to you. 'You're acting like the world could be gone tomorrow and you don't give one lick about it.'

'What do you mean? Get on with it, calculator watch!' Roman starts to get impatient. You know that that is because you're not the most patient person in the world. 

'It's all becoming clear. That fourth Heart's Egg was born from your desire to remain cautious about things, and to restrain yourself when it's needed. And now it's been corrupted, it's left you with this dangerous apathy.'

'Dangerous? How do you mean, _dangerous_?', You shrug. 'I don't get your point.'

'I don't either!', Roman shouts. You know that that is normal. 'It's new, and that means you could do without. Right?' Roman wants to verify that with you.

'I don't fear death.' you blurt out. You don't know where that comes from, but you don't care either.

'Whoa.' Patton is taken aback by that comment. 'That is...'

'You're so brave! I like it.' Roman isn't all too shocked by it.

'Hmm.', Logan wonders, then speaks up again as he thinks of something. 'Look out!' 

Suddenly, he materializes a notebook and throws it against your head. You don't even try to dodge. Strangely enough, you are not all that fazed by it. 'That hurt.', you say flatly. 'But hey, Logan, you can materialize things too? Never knew.'

'I can, it's just not as advanced as Roman's.', Logan explains. 'You're not even going to get angry at me?'

'Nah...', You don't really feel up to it. 'I didn't see that coming, though. But really, it doesn't hurt anymore by now.' 

'There you have it.', Logan sighs while averting his eyes. 'Your natural defenses aren't here.'

'You've become...how shall I say it, a lazy potato.', Roman's nicknaming habit has returned. 'But I like it!'

'Really?' Patton wonders. 

'Another thing. Hey, Thomas, did you remember to lock the door when you got home?'

'Lock the door...', You pause. 'Don't remember that. Don't care.'

'Now you say it.', Roman comments and points at Logan. 'I don't remember what the date is either. Well, I guess it ain't important.'

'Something needs to change.' Logan points out the obvious. That is, the obvious thing to anyone apart from you. 

Now, Patton is admitting something is different about you. 'Agreed.'

'But that means that that fourth Heart's Egg was always there, but we couldn't yet see it?' Roman brings his hand to his chin. 

'Exactly.', Logan is kind of surprised that such insight comes from Roman. 'It just appeared this morning because it was at its strongest. And now...'

Logan cannot end his sentence, as you all can see that the X-Egg has started to crack. As that happens, a purple flow of light surrounds it. Roman, Logan and Patton all look at you. 'You're not scared?' Patton asks, as being the Guardian Character who has inherited your emotional part. 

'No.', you say with the same apathy as when you said you don't fear death. 'Not at all...'

The Egg soon fully cracks, and an X-Character hatches. It looks, just as with the other Guardian Characters, like you, but it has dark eyeshadow and it is wearing tattered black and grey clothes. You think it may have looked elegant if its clothes weren't so ridden of holes. A white X-mark is at the side of its head.

'So, there you are!', Roman shouts. 'You...!'

Instead of replying, purple smoke gathers around its body as the entire room warps. 'What the-' You almost lose your ground, but just as you think you're going to fall, the warping has stopped. 

'Where are we?' Roman says as he looks around.

' **You're in my world now**.' it speaks. 

You try to figure out where you are. From the looks of it, your best guess is a forest at night. A purple sheen covers the sky, making the trees look black. The ground is almost invisible due to the mist. 

'Aaah!', Patton suddenly screams and flinches at the spider web behind him. 'Spiders!'

'I don't see any.', Logan says flatly. 'That's only a web.'

'S-still!' Patton floats away from it. 

'How do we get out?' you say, your awareness suddenly having returned to you.

' **You won't**.' the X-Character speaks. ' **Not until you explain what you have done**!' It snaps its fingers as shadows gather around your body, trapping you. 

'What are you doing?' Roman rushes to attack it, but the X-Character keeps him at a distance using the same magic. It throws Roman back, and he has to keep himself from crashing into a tree. 'Aah!'

'I-I just thought that...', you try to utter as the shadows tighten its grip on you. 'And I didn't even know that-'

' **That's right. I heard you say it. That it was so** **_stupidly_ ** **paranoid of you**!' As it says 'stupidly', its voice turns demonic. You realize that although it did not yet hatch, it was fully aware of the things you said before.

'What do you mean?' Patton worries, still wary about the spiders.

' **You don't need to worry about anything. Right**?' Because it is quoting you, it comes back to you. 

'I did say that...yes...' Breathing in is becoming harder and harder. 'But I didn't mean to...'

'Yeah! We didn't even know what wish you were!', Patton tries to justify. 'And let alone that he was aware of it.'

' **And that is the** **_exact_ ** **reason why I quit**!', The demonic tone returns for a second. ' **And it's also due to you, Roman! Let me remind you: 'It's new and that means you can do without'. Remember**?'

Roman wants to speak up, but only lets out a gasp. He doesn't even try to think of an argument as he is scared that he will get hit by the shadows again. 

' **Let's be honest. It's better if I'm like this. You all agreed on that some time before**.'

You are still impressed by the immense darkness this little creature radiates, as you never thought something from you would be capable of it. 

'That...isn't entirely true.', Logan tries getting to it without risking pain. 'Thing is, we didn't realize the importance of your subconscious presence before.'

' **You're putting it softly. I get it, don't worry**.', The X-Character crosses its arms. ' **You know I actually have been inside his heart without an actual form until this morning**.'

'Yes, why is that?', Roman finds an argument and doesn't hesitate to use it. 'Why didn't you come around earlier?'

' **Shut. Up**.' All of a sudden, the X-Character gets angry and forms its shadows to a terrifying beast of sorts. Then, it crashes it into the tree next to Roman. Roman dodges, but you get the idea that that was merely meant as a warning, not to hurt.

' **You don't decide what I do**!', it growls as the 'beast' disappears. ' **I have as much free will as you do**.'

'I don't know, guys, but I'm getting the creeps of this place!', Patton is still scared that the spiders may pop up sooner or later. 'The more I am here, the more I want to get out!'

'To-ta-lly same!', Roman is still recovering from that warning. 'I don't know what to call you, but hey, X-Character, can you please, please, _please_ let us out?' He is practically begging now. 

'Don't-' You already know that the X-Character isn't going to be happy with that. But, to your surprise...

As it still looks down on Roman, it remains silent for a bit. Then... ' **You need me**.', it says. ' **I don't want to be like this**.'

'I'm sorry! I truly am!', you confess. 'I didn't mean to turn you into an X-Character! I regret it! I promise that I will acknowledge you from now on!'

' **You will**?' The X-Character switches its focus from you to your Guardian Characters. 

Patton nods heavily. 'Y-yes! We will!', And then, with a little more confidence: 'You're a part we couldn't do without.'

'I agree.', Logan adds. 'You know, Patton is right when he said Roman needs you. And, obviously, you are necessary for his daily functioning.'

'I guess you are...', Roman thinks about it. 'Without you, we all lack the necessary drive to do something. And now you have finally gained a form, you don't deserve to be corrupted into an X-Character right off the bat like this.'

' **I hope you aren't just saying because you want to get out fast**.' The X-Character's sarcasm is almost touchable. 

'They aren't.', you say as you feel the shadows lessening the force of its grip on you. 'And I am not. Promise.' 

You see that the X-Character is thinking again. Then...

'... **you need to get out of here**.' Previously, it was intending on keeping you there, but now it notices that there is something else. ' **I...I think this space won't hold**. **I'm getting you out of here**.'

A blinding light enters your eyes once again, almost identical to the one when you do the Open Heart move. When it disappears, you find yourself back in your room again. 

'...we're back.'

'That appears so, yes.'

'Finally! We're out of that scary forest!'

As Patton, Logan and Roman come back to their senses, you see that something has changed. 

'...phew. That was close.' 

The X-mark has been lifted from your fourth Guardian Character. He still has the dark eyeshadow under his eyes, but the rest has changed drastically. He now wears a black hoodie with purple patches, stitched with white thread, and the shirt he wears under it is dark purple. 

'The X-mark...' Patton notes, and gasps a bit. 

'It's gone!', Logan smiles. 'Great!'

'Yeah!', Roman shouts and jumps up. 'We did it!'

'...I...I feel so much better now.', he says. As he does so, you can see that the egg he hatched from, is back to purple too. 'This, this is my true self.'

'You're just as needed as anyone else of us is.', You have decided that you're not going to ignore any necessary part of you anymore. 'And it will be easier if we have your name.'

'We can't always be referring you as to 'the fourth Guardian Character', so...' Logan gives him extra motivation to tell it. 

'I get that.', he speaks. His voice is still low and biting, but nowhere as dark as before. 'You can call me...Virgil.'

He pauses for a few seconds to let it sink in, until Roman speaks up again. 

'Virgil? But...that doesn't end on an 'n', right?'

'Hey, what do you want from a former X-Character?', he snarks, revealing that he has all memories from back then. 'Anyway, I'm happy to be back.'

'I love it!', Patton smiles. 'Welcome, or rather, welcome back...Virgil!'

'Oh, another thing.', You suddenly remember something that had been bugging you. 'Your magic. Is it shadow magic, or...?'

'Well...', Virgil pauses. 'It's a form of...you could say, it's a version of more or less _reality warping_...'

'Like you did with the forest before?' You nod.

'Yes. Like that. I had to shoo you out because I created it when I was still corrupted, and because I was purified, I knew it was not going to hold.', he explains. 'And it's not...well, shadow magic as it is the manipulation of my own clothing. Another function of reality warping.'

'Huh.', Roman looks up. 'Never heard of that.'

Virgil shrugs. 'It's pretty versatile as you could see. I never intended to hurt you. It was all meant as a warning.'

'But now, you won't and can't hurt us anymore.', you say. 'Right?'

'That's right.', he winks. 'And let's face it: I'm nowhere as bad as-' 

He suddenly stops talking as a yellow sheen fills his eyes for a second, then disappears. '...forget I said that.'

'What the...', Logan searches to avoid a curseword. 'What was that there?'

'What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about.' Virgil gives Logan a puzzled look.

'Ah, nevermind.', You shrug. 'That's for later.'

'Agreed.' Patton is also confused as to what that was, but decides to put it away for now.

'Yeah...'

Little did you know, that that was the first sign something was not entirely resolved yet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virgil's reality warping was inspired on that reality seems different when you're having a anxiety attack.


	3. Chapter 3

Peace returned to your life. You discovered that Virgil gave you the same powers he has himself, and when you do a Character Transformation with him, you discover some ability to be stealthy much like him. True to Virgil's aesthetic, you found a suitable weapon in daggers. However, it still gives the same rush of power as with other transformations and you can still do Open Heart with Virgil.

Virgil is slowly integrating into the life of your Guardian Characters. Roman is still not all too keen on him, although it has lowered to friendly fire. Patton is very fond of him, and Virgil thinks that Patton is an okay guy himself. Logan is similar to Virgil and that they both look at the realistic side of life, and Logan sometimes helps Virgil as not to panic as he represents the facts rather than your thoughts about what they could be.

Until one day, everything would change. It started out as any other day. You are in your room casually scrolling through some messages on your phone, Roman is looking through pictures of your acting career, Logan is reading a book, Patton is sleeping in the arms of a big dog plushie, and Virgil is listening to music. But then...

'Aaah, yeah, that was supposed to be...' You lean back on your bed. 

'What was supposed to be, Thomas?', Roman looks up. 'What happened?'

Logan stops reading and sighs. 'You forgot it. Don't say I didn't warn you last night.', He walks up to you and looks at your phone. 'Yes. There you have it.'

'I _completely_ forgot about that...'

Patton awakes from his cat nap and Virgil pauses the song he's listening to. 'What do you mean, forgot?' Virgil enters the conversation with his low voice.

'Remember that Thomas agreed to attend a reading of a staged play his best nonbinary pal Joan worked so hard on?', Logan clarifies. 'Well, that, eh, didn't go right.'

'You mean last night?', Roman thinks for a bit. 'You were hanging out with that handsome fellow! He was so dreamy!' 

'Yes, last night.', Logan sighs. 'And now Joan's getting back at him for it.'

'What do we do?' Virgil tries hard not to directly go into panic mode.

'That's the question.', you sigh again. 'Oh, I'm so embarrassed...' You hide your face in your hands. 

'Yeah! We could've shown up in the intermission!' Logan raises his voice.

'And leave that handsome stud alone? You're so heartless, Logan!' Roman defends his point. Before it comes to a discussion, you step in. 

'Calm down. What happened, has happened. All I can do now is choose whether I'd explain everything to Joan or not.' 

'What do you think, Patton?' Logan knows he should ask Patton since he is the one making the motivation for your choices. 

'Hmm.', Patton stands up. 'So you're on to the question if you should tell the truth to Joan. Well, when it comes to honesty, there are a lot of ways to go.'

'I thought you were Morality and I was Logic. Am I right?' Logan frowns. 

'Yeah, but I'm the one who goes over what is right and not.', Patton points to himself. 'For example, if a known killer entered your house and asked them where your friend lives, because said friend has wronged them in the past and they've come to enact revenge. Would you tell them the truth, then?'

'Never!', You are kind of surprised where this odd tangent comes from, but you already know your answer. 'I won't! But that's because it means protecting my friend!' While you say that, you think of Joan. 

'So you think that lying is okay if it means that something important to you is preserved.', Logan states. 'Interesting.'

'And bend the truth if it's necessary.' Roman concludes it to his own thing.

'Maaybee...', You slow down as you start to doubt that statement. '...I think I just need a little bit more practice in that, that's all.'

'But how?', Virgil starts to think. 'How do we change things so that we...like, set the stage for-'

Roman interrupts him. 'That's it!', he says. 'Set the stage! Hey, Virgil, can you do another reality bending thing?'

'Set the stage...?' you wonder.

'I don't know.', Virgil moves his sweater paw to his chin. 'All I've done is creepy places like that one.'

'You can at least try.', Patton says. 'We'll still be here, after all.'

'Okay.', Virgil stands up and jumps from the desk, in order to float above you. 'So any ordinary empty stage is okay, right?'

'You go for it!' Roman doesn't really mind, apparently.

'Here goes.' A familiar purple mist gathers around Virgil as he closes his eyes. The room warps and within a few seconds you are standing on a stage.

* * *

'Huh...didn't think it'd actually work...' he murmurs.

'Okay!', Roman is delighted as he sees that the stage he wished for has become reality. 'Tonight, I will bring you an amazing play, consisting out of four acts! You can sit back and relax as we try our best to make you look back on an unforgettable evening!'

'Since when are we acting out a play...?', You still can't grasp the speed this all went with. 'And where's Virgil?' you ask as you haven't seen him since he warped reality.

Roman ignores you. 'And of course you wouldn't have been here if we didn't have all the people making this possible! There is our stage manager, Logan!'

Next to the stage, Logan is standing. 'You forgot to mention I'm also the dramaturg.'

'Drama...turd?' 

'Drama _turg_ , Roman. The one researching the plays.'

'But of course, he is not the only one supporting us! Our dear tech manager, Virgil, is currently behind the scenes to handle the lights, the props, the costumes, and the actors...' You think you can hear Virgil's complaining from behind. 'And last, but not least, our dear au-'

'Director!' 

The loud- and suddeness of Patton's voice behind you surprises you once again, almost making you jump.

'No, that's me.', Roman's enthusiasm gets reined for a bit. 'I'm the writer of this play, as well as the director and the lead.'

'Ahh, please? You know how I love these things, right?'

As Patton pleads to do so, a brief yellow sheen appears in Roman's eyes. He then rethinks his statement. '...okay. You can be director. Just be sure to cheer for me when I steal the show, alright?'

'I'll be sure to do so!'

You frown, but Roman is over that already. 'Okay! Act 1!'

'But...', you hold up your hand as to slow him down. 'I'm not even on the stage yet!'

'Now you are!', Roman snaps his fingers. 'And because it's a bit strange now...' He snaps his fingers again, and he is now the same size as you. Along with that, you see that Patton behind you is now also your size. A familiar red glow surrounds him and he reappears in a costume. 

'Oh, dear Thomas! You didn't forgot to bring me your Mother's Day present, did you? You told me you would!'

'Mother's Day?' You quickly figure out that Roman is playing your mother, or rather, something that's supposed to be your mother. 

'Yes, that's today!', he points at you. 'Yesterday, you said you had the perfect gift for me! You've left me in suspense, I almost couldn't sleep last night!'

Because you don't have a prop or anything you can't give 'her' a present, but you get that Roman's role is less relenting than your actual mother. And so...

'Uh, yeah, of course...but...eh...' You try to string together a sentence.

'What?'

'That's true, I _had_ a real nice present, but...', _It is so long ago since I last made up an excuse_ , you realize. 'A, eh...homeless lady...uh, ate it.' You hold up your index finger.

'She ate it?'

'Y-yes!', You now have a foundation to build something upon. 'I left it on a free food counter, like a doofus so... yeah, it disappeared and then I saw a homeless lady with it. I really didn't want to take away the one thing of happiness she had at that moment!'

'Aww, that's _so sweet_!', 'she' coos. 'Never thought you had it in you, Tommy-boy, to care for the homeless!' 

'And...scene!', Patton mimicks a clapperboard making the cut. 'That was amazing!'

'Good ad-libbing.', Logan compliments you. 'But this, this was a set of so-called 'lies of commission'. You're making up a false story and all.'

'Acting as if that happened. I get it.', You nod. 'Literally, haha.'

'You did great!', Roman gives you another compliment. 'But let's see if you can keep up. Act 2, commence!' 

'Mister Sanders! Where were you for your Sunday shift?'

 _Oh no_ , you think. _Another scene in which I have to lie_. Reluctantly, you speak up. You have already decided that you're not going to lie outright, because you are still convinced that lying cannot be good. 'Do you remember when I started working here? Oh, you probably don't, because I've been working here, selling Hot Topic merch-'

'You didn't.'

'Yes, I did, and you know that very well! I've skipped years and years of holidays because I have to bring food on the table! If I ever miss a day of work, don't you think that it's probably for a valid reason?'

It remains silent for a bit. 

'...maybe.', Roman's voice has lowered, almost to a whisper. He then crosses his arms. 'Hmm. Looks like you've finally grown a spine! This time, but you don't have to try that another time!'

'Scene!' Patton shouts, almost making you fall again. 

'Man, Patton, can you stop being so...sudden all the time?' you ask while looking at him. 

'Good. That was a so-called 'character lie'. Logan is redirecting the attention from the matter at hand, instead talking about what is important instead. 'As it were, you're finding other factors that are at play.'

'Haha, 'at play.' I get it!' Patton laughs at the accidental pun.

'Ugh...'

'Keep it up! Act 3!'

Before you fully realize what role Roman will be playing, a vase breaks behind you due to the shock from the sudden transition of the act. Then, Roman enters the scene. 

'Noooooooooo!!!', he utters. 'That was my precious grandma's vase! The last thing she gave to me before she died! Who did this? The entire room is full of people as this is my graduation party, so everyone but me could have done it!'

 _Ah. He's playing a high school jock_ , you realize. _But if that's a heirloom, a tragic keepsake..._

You haven't decided on what to say, but Roman keeps raving on. 'Anyone? Someone must have been the culprit!...no? Well, I guess we'll have to put some guards at the end of the party when you go out. I need to go to the kitchen anyway.' And then, to your surprise, he walks away. What surprises you even more, is Patton.

'Scene!', he shouts. 'You're doing great!'

'That, Thomas, was a 'lie of omission'.', Logan is there to explain it again. 'By keeping silent, you are essentially removing yourself from the scene and blending in with the innocent crowd. Another great example.'

'Okay...'

'Final Act, go!'

To your surprise, Roman walks in only to drop on the ground. You don't know what role this is, until Roman starts to mumble. 

'...ahh...what happened...?' 

You walk up to Roman. Instinctively, you say: 'Are you okay?'

'Yes...I think I am...just feeling a little...hazy...' You help Roman sit up as he grabs his head. 

'But you don't feel any pain?'

'No...it's just...', he swallows and then clears his throat. 'I felt a deep sadness flow over me...and then I fell unconscious.'

 _Oh no_ . _Roman is playing a child unaware of that I just purified their X-Egg. How do I do this_?

'Can you tell me what happened?' Roman asks, to your great fear. 

'Uhhh...', you hesitate. 'I also don't know...'

'Before I blacked out, I saw you...', he confesses. 'You must have seen what happened!'

'Ehh...', You really have to think of something. You know you can't use the lie of omission again as you and the kid seem to be the only characters here, and a character lie will be difficult since this kid doesn't know you. 'I...'

'Cut!' Patton shouts. 'Thomas, what is this?' 

'Yeah, what in the world do I have to do with this?', You say in your defense. 'I have to keep my identity a secret. And from their lines, it is clear that this kid is older than a toddler, so I absolutely can't let my identity slip!'

'Go on!'

'But-'

As Patton does a gesture as if he is decapitating himself, you feel a strange influence inside your head. For a second, it feels like everything is on fire. Then, you think you're able to go on. 'Alright...'

You enact the scene again with Roman, up until the point where you had hardship with. 'I was inside the shop when it happened.', you lie. 'I'm so sorry!'

'What shop?', Roman points to the space around him. 'We're in a forest!'

'Cut!' 

Sooner than you expect, Patton calls for a cut again. 'You're right. This is nothing. We're going back.' 

'Agreed.', Roman gets up and then talks to Virgil behind the scenes. 'Virgil!'

'On it!'

* * *

And in no time, you are back in your room again. 'Uhh...what was that last act for, Roman?'

'Yeah...I'm sorry. I don't know what drove me to make the last act about that. Trust me, I had something else in mind before.' Roman explains.

'Doesn't matter.', Logan waves it away, but you see that Virgil is frowning. 'We're back. That was an...enlightening experience, I have to admit.'

'Really?', Virgil is not so sure of his case. 'That was just very uneasy. I don't know, if you lie like that, that just makes me flat out uncomfortable.' He points at you.

'But it got my point across, didn't it?', Patton asks. 'If it wasn't clear...you may not think it is acceptable at first but...sometimes, lying is good!'

'Yeah, for example what we did! Actors are lying all the time!' You wonder how Roman ever got on the same side as Patton. 

'But when you go to a play, you _know_ that what you're going to see is fiction.', Logan refutates. 'So there goes your argument.'

'Plus, I don't know if I could lie to a _friend_...remember, when you all hatched, that Joan came to visit after that? That alone was hard enough for me.'

'That was a close one. But you got away with it as Joan also has a Guardian Character.' Roman remembers. 

'But that was in the past.', Logan argues. 'And we now know better.'

'But, then again. The support of your friend hinges on everything you tell them. Right?'

'I don't know.', Virgil just shrugs at Patton's comment. 'Like I said before, the entire concept of withholding the truth from friends doesn't sit right with me. In fact, Thomas' friends make me feel more at ease. And anyone who doesn't get that simple statement should just shut up!'

That takes you back. 'Whoa.'

'But we are friends. Right?' You see that Patton is weirdly grasping at straws now.

'Well...', Virgil raises his voice, and then lets it down in a sarcastic manner. 'I'm not sure...'

'Hey, I think the majority of us is now agreeing that lying is bad.', you say, as to try to cut the tension in the air. 'Three against two.'

'Still!', Patton is slowly losing his grasp on the few straws he has. 'I also have a say in this!'

'Sure, you do.', you nod slowly. 'But this time, I'm not listening to you. I know better than what you are saying.'

An awkward silence falls, until Patton starts clapping slowly. 

'Oh, _wow_. Thomas, I'm awestruck at how mature you are!' The expression he makes tells you enough that he no longer the Patton you know, but has changed into stone cold sarcasm.

'Uhh...' You look at your other Guardian Characters. 

Logan is on it immediately. 'I was in doubt before, but now I know, because something has finally clicked in me! You're-' 

But then, Patton gestures, and the same yellow sheen you have seen before covers Logan's eyes. It doesn't just last a second now, but a good five seconds before it dies down. 

'...aah, I...I...' 

You want to rush to Logan's side, but you know that there are more pressing matters at hand. 

'Patton, what are you doing?' Roman shouts. 

'I-I...' Something strange happens - it is as if he starts to glitch, before a yellow glow surrounds him. 

'You're...', Logan looks up and points. 'Deceit!'

In the place of Patton is an X-Character, clothed in black with tinges of yellow. Part of its face is serpentine, covered in dark green scales. Its clothing is inspired on Victorian wear, and it reminds you of Mr. Hyde. As with all X-Characters, a big white X-mark is on the side of its head. 

' **That's an interesting name to call me**. **I like it**.' It speaks slow, but not like Virgil.

'I have an X-Character I didn't see? But how? _How_?' You wonder how it remained unknowing to you. 

' **Ooh** , **I don't know**.', it says. ' **And you certainly don't want to know either**!'

'Shut it.', Logan sighs. From the corner of your eye, you can see that Virgil keeps looking at 'Deceit' with pure contempt. 'You've been here for very long.'

'It had convinced you were a good person.', Virgil explains. 'But you also wanted to be true to yourself, so you were gifted a Heart's Egg to represent that wish. However, you can see how _that_ turned out...corrupted into an X-Egg even before hatching...' He shakes his head.

'But I _am_ a good person, and I _am_ true to myself!' you shout.

' **You sure are**.', it smiles. ' **Everyone says so**.'

You want to say something in reply, but don't find it, realizing that this delusion has led to the corruption of what must have been the wish to be true to yourself. You aren't even able to think otherwise.

'And where is Patton?' You divert the attention. 

' **Great way to crawl out of the matter at hand**.', It is still standing there, with the X-mark you have come to hate so much. ' **Also, I have no idea who you are talking about. I've always been him**.'

'What?'

'That cannot be.', Roman says as he glances to the Eggs. 'The Egg Patton hatched from is still pure.'

' **Oh, hey, Roman. Love the form you manifest in**.' 

'Thank you!' Roman's face lights up, but you see that Logan behind you bites back a 'no'.

'W-why didn't anyone tell me?', you ask. 'You knew back then that Virgil was forming. So why couldn't anyone be so nice to me to tell me about this?'

'We'd dearly want to, but...', Virgil shrugs and points at 'Deceit'. 'It's Patton's opposite and can also use the same Charm Magic.'

'That's not entirely true.', You remember all times you've seen the yellow light. 'If it is the same, then why did you do all of this?'

' **It's not like I am entirely unaffected** **by the 'needs to be morally correct' rule because I'm not representing your Morality**.'

'I had no idea that the Charm Magic could also affect my own Guardian Characters...', you wonder. 'But where did you ever come from? I've never even seen the Heart's Egg you hatched from, did I?'

' **You did. But for now, I need you to go down first**.'

Deceit suddenly materializes a flask with a transparent fluid, of which you know sure that it probably isn't water. It then throws the flask on the ground, and the fluid evaporates. 

'What...I...this...' You see that Roman immediately grabs his head. 'This...is...' Not long after, he falls on the desk he was standing on. Virgil tries resisting it, but goes down after that too. Alerted, you quickly put your hands in front of your nose and mouth to prevent getting lightheaded too. Logan follows your example. With muffled voice, he says: 'Do a Character Transformation with me.' You don't hesitate and nod once. 

But before it can happen...

'Ahhh...that nap took too long. And...hey, you're in my place. Mind moving?' 

Patton appears just in time. 

' **I'm not in your place**.' 

Deceit's compulsive lying starts to get humorous, as you try not to crack a grin at that obviously false statement. 

'Sure you are.', Patton smiles although Deceit is in front of him. You frown at how he's immune to the poison. 'And now to deal with this...' Patton snaps his fingers and the poison disappears. You carefully release your hands from your face.

'Thank you...'

' **Well, then. You certainly won't see me back after this**.' Deceit disappears in a flash of bright yellow light as you see that Roman and Virgil wake up.

'Roman! Virgil! You're awake!'

'No, shit, sherlock.', Virgil rolls his eyes in sarcasm. 'That was quite the mess, wasn't it?'

Patton jumps up to sit on your shoulder. 'Yeah, it sure was!', he says. 'It took my place while I was still napping!'

'Still. Can anyone explain where this X-Character comes from?' You ask as you still haven't gotten an answer on your main question.

'Yeah...', Virgil scratches the back of his neck. 'Actually...because I'm a former X-Character...I knew that it was there. Alongside some others.'

Roman crosses his arms. 'And you didn't bother to tell us earlier?'

'That's not my fault.', Virgil sighs. 'It can erase memories for some time, so I wouldn't be able to tell it. Sometimes it even replaces them with fake ones, explaining why Roman made a different fourth act.'

'Whoa. Who knows what _else_ it's been keeping a lid on?', You bring your hand to your chin in thought. 'What cans of worms are still waiting to be opened?'

'I dunno.', Roman shrugs. 'But there's still a can of soup waiting to be opened.'

'You're right. I should eat something.' You say as you smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You-know-who is going to appear, so several warnings are in order. This chapter has disturbing imagery (verbal) and some violence.

After that, things have more or less calmed down. Except for the fact that you have more X-Characters than you thought. You have been looking for ways to purify 'Deceit', but you haven't been succesful yet. Everytime the thought of doing that comes up in your mind, it gets erased as soon as it came, so that is going less fast than you hoped it would go. Until the time comes around again, that...

'You want to make a new video format?'

You are sitting on the sofa with your notebook in front of you. You have been brainstorming for a new idea you hopefully want to make into a new video series, and Roman has found a free spot in his agenda full of questing to help you out. 

'Yeah, and hey, since you're my creative Guardian Character...you're the best one to help me out, right?' you say as Roman hops on your notebook. After all, Guardian Characters are normally so small that they could easily fit into the palm of your hand.

'You bet I am! In fact, I already have some ideas down! What would you think of-' 

'- _Killing your brother_.'

A sudden thought strikes you, overriding whatever Roman says. 'What? Why would I do that?' 

Roman looks up in surprise. 'Do what?' 

You squint. 'Did you put that thought in my head?'

'What thought? Thomas, I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm here, trying to give you ideas, and...'

'Okay, okay. That's obvious.', you hold up your hands to stop him. 'I'm getting the others here.' You snap your fingers and the other three appear. Over the course of your career as one who has Guardian Characters, you can summon them at will. Or rather, invite them to come. You can't force them.

But this time, Virgil, Logan and Patton show up obediently. 'You called us?' Logan asks courteously. 

'Yeah, I was wondering if you had any ideas for a new format for a new video series?' You decide to put the strange thought aside and go back to basics. 

'And you already asked Roman?' Virgil puts his hand on his chin in thought. 

'Yes, I did.', you say. 'But then, I was getting this strange, off-putting idea. So I was wondering for your input.'

'Did you put that thought in Thomas' head?' Virgil immediately reverts to his not-too-nice attitude at Roman you are used of him.

'What thought?' Roman, being the center of it all, gets noticeably uncomfortable. 

'Perish the thought, Virgil.', you sigh. 'So, ideas.'

'Well, I thought that we could-'

'No, no, no, that won't work, it-'

The following conversation goes down in a mess of overlapping voices you can't track. But above them all, you hear something loud and clear. 

' _Did you ever think about what would happen if you jumped out of a driving car at full speed_?'

This time, it is as if someone stings your mind, and it remains in your head for some time. 'Aah!' you shout, startling the other Guardian Characters.

'Who of you is putting these intrusive thoughts in my head?' You grab the bull by the horns. 

Virgil looks at Roman, who looks back at him. Patton and Logan are both looking at you. But then, the discussion rises again as to who. 

'It's got to be Roman!', you hear Patton say. 'What's wrong with you?'

'No, it's-'

The idea of making a new format has completely slipped away of you. All you want to know is what this is supposed to be, and you at least try to follow who thinks what. 

'This conversation isn't going anywhere!' Virgil is on the edge of reverting to his demonic voice again. 

'What do you expect?', Roman growls. 'You-' 

But Roman can't finish his sentence as suddenly, a dark green fireball shows up behind him and knocks him out. He falls on the ground, unconscious.

'Aah!', Patton shouts. 'You killed him!'

'That wasn't me!' Virgil immediately jumps to his defenses. But he doesn't need to, because not long after, the green fire clears up and a new someone reveals itself. 

'You're...' you stammer. Just like all other Guardian Characters, it looks like you in general - brown eyes, and caucasian skin. But it has a silver lock in its brown hair and also wears the big, white X-mark you hate with your entire being. Its costume is elaborate like Roman's, but it's black with hints of light and dark green. 

'Another X-Character?' you shout, but said new X-Character is quick to act. With just one gesture of the hand, it traps you and the other Guardian Characters in chains wrapping around your wrists. A light green mist surrounds you, and you immediately notice that breathing is harder now.

'Ah! I...can't...move...' Patton gasps. It looks like your Guardian Characters can still breathe, if a bit harder than you. You're still able to, because of your size. But it is as if the mist is covering your rational thinking, impulses and your morality, which makes sense as Logan, Virgil and Patton are trapped. 

' **Long time no see**!', the X-Character speaks. It does not have the low voice of Virgil or 'Deceit', but rather a high, demented voice shifting here and there. It kind of reminds you of those songs where people don't use Hatsune Miku right. ' **It's high time I popped in**!'

'It...was better...without you...' Virgil tries to maintain his usual deadpan snarker attitude, but the mist is making that hard.

' **Ooh, trying to hurt me, I see**? **Unfortunately, that is right up my alley**! **The alley filled with rabid dogs and murderers where they will kill you, that is**!'

Without Roman, you can't help but imagining that. When you do so, you feel the chains tightening around your wrists. 

' **Ah, it feels so good to be back**! **See, I was unloved from the Genesis**! **Cain and Abel, if you will**.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about!', you shout. 'Unloved? What do you mean?'

'He's...ahh...' Logan tries answering you, but the X-Character materializes a shuriken and throws it his way. He can barely dodge, but it misses him by a hair.

'Where did that come from? That magic...is...'

' **Recognize it**? **That's right, it's Roman's**!' 

'...the hell...' you hear Virgil mumble.

'Who are you anyway? Besides scary, that is.' you ask.

The X-Character gasps, but then looks at you with a snide glare as it seems taken aback by that comment. ' **Scary**? **Me**? **You know what's scary**? **Eating a tarantula alive**.' Once again, you can't help but thinking of it, and the chains tighten again along with the pain in your head. 

'Scary...is not...the word...' Patton tries to say.

' **You're right**. **Speaking of right, in many countries the right hand is for eating stuff**. **Because the left hand is for** -'

Suddenly, Logan has had enough. 'Shut up!', he shouts. 'I know who you are! You're Roman's twin!'

Although it is as if he dropped a bombshell, the X-Character doesn't change its expression even once.

'Twin...?', You're already surprised that the X-Character lets Logan finish. 'How does that work anyway?'

' **Oh, you want to know how that works**? **Well, I gotta** -'

But Logan interrupts it. Although the X-Character goes on like nothing ever interrupted it, focusing on Logan helps you. 'Your Creativity...didn't just get a single Heart's Egg.'

'Huh?' You are trying your best to ignore the X-Character's speech. 

'You had a wish to dream and to be more creative. But your unconscious mixed it with a different, intrusive kind of creativity. That initially wasn't much of a problem, until you decided that these thoughts were wrong and shouldn't exist. As such, there was a byproduct...an X-Egg that was the corrupted version of Roman. And so, you had both the normal Heart's Egg and its corrupted version coexisting like this. Unlike 'Deceit', _the Heart's Egg this X-Character hatched from was never pure_.'

'Can... you please... shut it up?' Virgil looks like he is freaking out inside again. 

' **You can't simply shut me up**! **I'm Remus, after all**.'

'Your name is...Remus...?' You realize that this is the first time an X-Character has revealed its name to you.

' **Of course I am**. **Why should I ever hide anything**? **That is to say, why do we even wear clothes anyway**?'

While it says this, you notice one thing.

'Logan...your chains are...' He seems to breathe more easily than Virgil and Patton.

'That's right, I...' Logan shakes off the chains, and Remus reacts immediately. He tightens the chains around Virgil, who releases a very familiar 'hellhound' out of his clothing. It bites Logan immediately in his shoulder. 

'Ah, I...'

'Remus, you stop this madness-'

' **There's no reason to, or why I do**. **I just do**.'

With that, a number of intrusive thoughts hurt your head again. You breathe heavily as you try setting them out of your head. To no avail, and the spilled hardship almost makes you black out...

'Thomas...there's no way...you'll do any...thing...with...them...right?'

You can see the strain Logan puts into saying that, but you realize something. 

'That's...true.'

With that, Logan's rationality slowly returns to you. You try to turn to face Remus, and from the corner of your eye you see that Roman is coming back to his senses bit by bit.

'Remus.', you say. 'I know you exist now. And although you've done all this, I'm happy that I know you are there, and that, hey, you're not normal. But I am not planning to act on you at all! And as long as I'm not acting on you...'

You feel the grip of the chains loosening. Remus is still glaring daggers at you, but all of a sudden, they seem a lot less threatening. 

'...you're harmless.'

By the time you say that, Roman is standing next to Remus.

'That's right!', Roman proudly proclaims. 'So...it's time that you let them go!' He brings out his katana. You want to hold him back, but you see that Roman does not hurt Remus. It works nonetheless; Remus retracts its chains and the mist disappears, freeing you and your other Guardian Characters. It then disappears in the same dark green fireball without saying a word.

'...I'm sorry...'

Virgil is the first one who says something. 'Logan...I'm so sorry, Remus used magic to control me...to do that...'

'It's...fine...' He still tries to stop the wound from bleeding, but it doesn't look as big as it did a moment ago.

'It's just...', Roman shrugs. 'As long as the target is still chained, Remus can control their body and magic freely. It doesn't even need permission.' 

A shiver goes down your spine. 'That sounds terrible... And I was here, thinking that forcing intrusive thoughts and making chains and stuff was its only magic.' 

'Logan! You'll heal back, right?' Patton finally speaks. Logan nods in response.

'You can all regenerate?' You frown at that.

'Yeah, because we're Guardian Characters. Kinda like how Roman survived that, but our resilience is also at play.' Virgil explains.

'Hmm. That certainly clears up a lot about these thoughts.', you wonder. 'But hey. If there was an X-Character that impersonated Patton, Virgil is a former X-Character, and Roman has a twin that's an X-Character...then...am I not getting the bigger picture or something like that?'

'What do you mean?' Roman asks.

'Out of all the Guardian Characters I've mentioned, Logan is not there.', As you say that, Logan looks at you. 'Logan, do you think that-'

'Absolutely not.', He cuts off your sentence with a stern voice. 'I will deal with any resistence.'

'That sounds pretty defiant, you know.' Virgil comments.

'Anyway.', you decide to hop topic before things get paranoid. 'Roman, did you know about Remus?'

Roman remains silent for quite a while, but then he answers in a soft voice: '...Yes.' 

You think you can hear a needle dropping in the silence that follows. 'In fact...I knew of the X-Egg existing. But, everytime I tried to bring it up...'

'You-know-who would shut you up. I get it.' Logan crosses his arms once again.

'...yes. And I've always feared that it would hatch, you know. But it didn't, and it didn't. It was just waiting to happen, and it didn't, for such a long time. Until today...'

'You've been living in fear for it...', You think about it. Maybe this is the reason why Roman wants to protect you so badly. 'But, hey. Quick question. I've never seen it, but...are X-Characters also able to do a Character Transformation with their owner?'

'You ask really deep questions, Thomas...But the answer you're looking for, is...', Logan speaks slowly.

'...yes.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the usage of chains, I kind of tried to invoke the image of an octopus. Also, chains can also be brought into a kinky context.


	5. Chapter 5

As you sigh for the third time, Roman hops on the book you're reading. 

'What's the matter?' he asks, having already figured out that you're not reading at this point. 

You put your book down. 'Remember the stuff Deceit mentioned?' 

'What stuff?'

'About if I'm a good person!', You hope that that rings a bell in Roman, although you know that that description is more than a bit vague. 'I'm aware that the corruption isn't making things easier. But...I've been thinking about it.'

Suddenly, Patton appears. 'That's not that hard of a question.', he smiles. 'You're a good person. Despite everything, you're good.'

You squint. 'Define your 'good'.'

'Uhh...' Patton hesitates, not knowing how to explain such a natural thing to him. 

'Nevermind.', you sigh, afraid of drifting off. 'Maybe it meant that I'm a bad person. That I only think of myself.'

Roman crosses his arms. 'That's flat-out not true.', he says. 'You think of your friends. You care for your fanbase.'

Still, you're not entirely convinced. 'I'm sorry...I just want to get this issue over with. I don't want to mince matters.'

_You mean, 'mince words'._

'Ah!', you gasp, as you realize that Logan is speaking to you telepathically. 'Why're you talking to me in this way?'

_I don't want to be invasive to your conversation. Go on._

'I mean, you've been putting your life in danger to purify others for quite a while now.', Roman strenghtens his previous argument. 'That's pretty selfless.'

Patton nods. 'Yeah. Instead of playing it safe by hanging out with friends or netflix and chill, you've been actively been in dangerous situations all for the sake of people you don't even know that well. Roman's right, that's far from being selfish.'

_It indeed has been said and pointed out by various sources that the most selfless thing one can do is put their life in danger for their friend._

You look at the ground. 'But, still. It feels good to see them smile after everything's said and done. And I'll admit that seeing that gives me a different feeling than, when, say, a friend's just smiling about a joke I told them.' You shake your head, your thoughts becoming blurred. 

'So. If I did get this...you're just fighting for their happiness. Then, I don't understand what's wrong with that.' Patton doesn't seem to be very fazed by your worries.

'I do.', Roman tilts his head. 'If you would not actively seek out X-Eggs to purify, for, say, a week or so, you'd start feeling bad.'

You raise your voice as you look at him. 'Yes, because I'm worried about those people!' 

Roman groans, rolling his eyes. 'Okay. Another example that's not about fighting.', he clears his throat. 'Let's say you've been saving money for half a year already, to buy a brand new phone. Your old one has been, uhh...'

He struggles to complete the scenario, and that's where Patton jumps in. '...struck with ransomware!'

_Cybercriminals usually target computer OS'es with ransomware, not personal phones of normal citize-_

Suddenly, Logan stops his argument. 'Uhh...what happened to Logan?' you hesitantly ask.

'Dunno. He must've realized that that's beyond the point and stopped talking.', Roman shrugs. 'Let's roll with it anyway. So, you go to the shop the day you planned to buy it, taking your money with you. But then...'

'...a good friend of yours tells you that they've been breaking an antique statue at their grandmother's house...', You've noticed Patton and Roman are on a roll, and listen closely. '...and they cannot pay it back.'

'And let me guess, the costs are the exact same as that of my to-be phone.' you sigh.

'Exactly.', Roman points out. 'What do you do?'

Now they've asked you the entire metaphor, you think you have an answer. 'I give them my money. They're my friend.'

Roman apparently already thought of that. 'Okay, so you give them the money. But then, they take it and...just walk away. Without thanking you or anything.'

'Oh.', You're taken aback by that twist. 'I wouldn't have known that at first.'

'Ah, I'm sorry, but this is not exactly helping my worries.', you say. 'I'm starting to get second thoughts.'

'Look what you did, Roman!', Patton looks at him. 'You've made him distrust his friends!'

Roman raises his voice once again. 'That's not the point! I'm just showing him where the crux of the problem lies!'

But you think you've just gotten back at square one. 'Then, even if I knew that, I woudn't change my choice. Poor people already have it so hard.'

_Exactly. Studies show that, if the richest 2% would be a little bit more considerate of where they leave their money, the poor could get more help and relief._

'And that is why I think I'm selfish!', You don't know whether it's deliberate, but you happily make use of Logan's statement to support your argument. 

'You're not!', Patton speaks on a higher tone. 'As long as you're still helping your friends, that's enough.'

Roman gets fed up with the question. 'Then, why are you still doubting? Why can't you just believe that helping others is good, and just leave any ulterior motif for what it is?'

'Because...because...', Your response goes down in another sigh. 'It's just...I've been raised with the idea that being selfless is a good thing. But there's something that keeps me from acting more selfless than you say I already do, and...that's the thing, about putting my own oxygen mask on first rather than helping others.'

_That is actually a pretty bad metaphor. If you don't put on your own oxygen mask on first when the plane gets decompression, hypoxia could happen very quickly to you._

'...okay.', you give in. 'At least they got it.'

Roman nods. '...all this time...and now, I realize, I'm at fault here. It's me, your ego, that gets in the way of you wanting to help others. It's your mentality, and desires that keep you from doing good. Like ads keep you from listening a song on youtube. I...should probably install an adblock...and that means...' He looks at Patton meaningfully.

Patton looks back at Roman and you with a puzzled expression. 'Wait. Wait, wait wait. That _can't_ be right!', he says in a near-scream. 'Say that I don't have to!'

_Indeed. In fact, leisure has been proven to be good, not only for possible others involved, but also has beneficial effects on the mind. This is the evidence that being a little 'selfish', by thinking of yourself, is good._

'Okay, I can't believe that this is where the bar is.', You close your eyes and hold out your hand in a 'stop' gesture. 'Did you hear Logan's point? I don't want to give all of myself away. Because if I do...what will that leave me? Being too selfless is a thing, but I'm afraid that in an attempt to prevent that...I've grown too selfish, and I've indulged in leisure far too much.'

'THAT is EXACTLY my POINT!'

Patton screams now, and his eyes are solid light blue. Glitches of the same color surround him. 

'Uhh...' you flinch, not knowing what to do. 

'You might have broken him.' Roman slowly brings out. That is the last thing you hear when a flash blinds your and Roman's eyes. You close your eyes in reaction on it, until it dies down after five seconds or so. 

'Ah!'

You open your eyes, and you see that Patton has transformed into a large, feral-looking wolf. 'What...'

_Looks like he's returned to the raw essence of what he is - the Id._

'That's...' You have noticed that Roman has still not gone to your side, and is still standing next to 'Patton'.

Suddenly, the wolf speaks. ' _Roman is right. You need to go back to basics, and use those to help others.'_

'Look, now he's taking my side.', Roman says proudly. 'Even in this form, he's acknowledged that giving yourself away is good.'

'I don't care!', you shout. 'I just want to get rid of the guilt, and get you back to normal!' But then...

 **Mind if I join in**?

You gasp, as you realize that that is not Logan's voice. 'Deceit? You replaced Logan?'

'Oh, no, you don't!' Roman, fully aware of what that means, grabs his katana. 

**Leave it to me** _._ **Don't let this situation escalate** _._

Normally, you would have shooed him out, but this time, you're so fed up with the situation that you don't feel like you have a choice. 

**Good**. 

You feel like someone grabs your mind strongly, and feel your conscious will slipping away, like sand through your fingers. But something else replaces it, a new surge of power that feels different from that of the Guardian Characters, but arguably nicer. And before you know it...a bright white X-mark is painted on your soul.

'Thomas!', Roman shouts furiously as he sees that you have done a Character Transformation with Deceit. 'Why do you take that side? Don't you know it's evil? Fight it, Thomas!'

' **Why should I**?', you say. ' **It's right. I'm a good person. Being selfless is harder than that you two make it seem**!'

At that cue, Patton rushes forward to attack you. You act quick, throwing a few flasks of elixer its way, freezing Patton in place. 

'Why do I have to do everything myself?' Roman then takes charge at you with his katana. 

' **Darn, I just hate it when things get melee**.' you mumble, but nonetheless block his katana with your staff. The fragile balance forces you to talk once more. 

You lock Roman into this standoff where no one can move unless they want to get hurt. ' **This guilt isn't the fault of anyone**!', you clarify. You feel like these words are only partially your own, but you agree with them. ' **No one is judging me for taking time for myself instead of for others, because doing that is** **_good_**!' 

With that, you slightly push forward, throwing Roman off-balance. He struggles to keep standing, as you see that Patton changes back to his normal form. The surge of power leaves you, and the X-mark on your soul disappears. Deceit is now standing next to you like a 'normal' X-Character, but you feel like you can barely focus on it. 

'Uhh...I feel like crap...' you struggle to say. 

' **I should've warned you that Character Transforming with an X-Character like me drains your energy like crazy in exchange for being more powerful**.' Deceit explains. 

It then comes back to you. 'I...did a Character Transformation...with an X-Character?' You look up at Deceit.

'I _told_ you that the second you showed up like that!' Roman still hasn't lowered his voice.

'That's...really something...else...' you say, as you slowly realize that your memories take a bit longer to come back. It initially felt like you had too many energy drinks, and now, like you want to sleep as soon as possible.

'I'm again asking you, why do you take its side?', He doesn't need to get close to you when repeating that question. 'Have you spotted that large X-mark already? For starters, it's the evil you need to purify!'

You sigh. 'I know, Roman...but...', You then look at Deceit. 'It's...right.'

'What?' Patton utters, and you know that it must've been a sort of blur to him too. 

'This issue may be less crucial then you make it seem.', you say. 'I can be taking care of myself, and take care of my friends, and not be too selfish. Everyone understands that you need to be a little bit selfish in order to take care for yourself!'

' **Roman, I** **_know_ ** **that I'm an X-Character, you don't need to remind me**.', Deceit points out through clenched teeth. ' **I represent Thomas' broken desire to be true to himself**.'

'But...it may be for the better to take your points into consideration, despite everything you embody.', you decide, while still looking at it. 'Sometimes, your perspective offers me a better look at the matter at hand.'

Roman crosses his arms again. 'And how exactly do we know we should trust you?'

Deceit takes a deep breath, and then takes its right glove off. It then makes the swearing gesture. ' **My name** ... **is Janus**.'

An awkward silence falls for a few seconds or so, until Roman starts to laugh. 

'Never would've thought, that you actually...'

But it cuts through Roman's sentence. ' **It's that you don't have the X-mark**. **Otherwise, I would've confused you with someone else**.'

Roman gasps, and then disappears. 'What was all that about?' Patton asks. 

'You were being sincere. I could tell.', you say. 'Give Roman some time-out.'

'Alright.', Patton doesn't need to think about that very long. 'And with him here-'

Janus clears its throat, making Patton remember something. 'Oh, yeah.', he reconsiders. 'You're still an 'it', right?' Janus nods. After all, the X-mark has remained firmly in place for the entire time. 

'I...need to lie down...' You feel lightheaded and then drop on the couch, your vision going black from exhaustion.


End file.
